Hot Chocolate Hearts
by d27h
Summary: More than anything, Ryuzaki Sakuno wants to go to the Winter Dance with- who else?- Ryoma Echizen. Deep down, though, she knows that it isn't likely. However, an unexpected turn of events- starting with a dinner party- might change things.
1. Chapter 1

**Hot Chocolate Hearts**

**Chapter 1**

"SAKUNOOOOOO!" Tomoka shouted from behind me. I jumped; I had not expected her to sneak up on me so quietly.

"Tomoka-san! Please don't do that!" I told her in a much quieter voice. It was a well-established fact that Tomoka and I were polar opposites. She was the outgoing one, the one who liked to jump and shout and sing and dance. Tomoka had a loud voice and enjoyed being the center of attention, wearing short skirts, and flirting. I was milder, like still water to Tomoka's fire. Conservative outfits, hiding in the corners, and choosing not to talk defined me.

"Oh, I'm sorry but _I CAN'T STOP BEING EXCITED!_"

"Tomoka-san, please!"

"AIEEEE!" Tomoka put her hands on her cheeks and twirled. "Momoshiro-kun asked me out to the Winter Dance today at lunch!"

Since when did he go from Momoshiro-_senpai_ to Momoshiro-_kun_? I thought. I didn't say this out loud though, because I knew that I would be criticizing my best friend. "Oh! That's great! But the dance isn't for two weeks."

"_Who cares_!" Tomoka shrieked. She jumped and ran out of the classroom and down the hall to tell her other friends.

I smiled and continued to pack my books into my bag. Even though I truly did want to go to the dance, I didn't want to have to say "yes" to a possibly overeager boy. I guess I'd pass.

Ryoma Echizen sat at his desk and stared out the window with such intensity that I thought there was a murder going on. As it turns out, Momo and Kaidoh were going at it again. I couldn't hear them, but the snow around their feet was scuffed and dirty, signaling that a fight had just occurred. Ryoma grumbled and tucked his notebook into his bag. Even that little motion made my heart beat faster. If only he would ask me to the dance…but knowing Ryoma, that would never happen.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked out the classroom door. Tomoka was giggling with two girls at the end of the hall. I watched them for a second, then turned and headed for the stairs.

Suddenly, on the fourth step down, I felt something push me from behind. I yelped as I hit the floor. My arm was pinned under me awkwardly. Grimacing, I turned and sat up. Nothing seemed broken, but my wrist felt tender.

Somebody put their hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Ryoma's golden eyes boring into mine. My face immediately turned a deep shade of red. I stood up quickly. "Ah- gomenasai!"

"You're not the one who should apologize." Ryoma said while turning to look at someone. I realized that that was the longest sentence Ryoma had ever said to me and I looked down to hide the color on my face. "He pushed you."

Somebody shouted, "I didn't do it, man!" I heard quick footsteps and then Ryoma's sigh.

"I-ah-I have to go." I said hastily and rushed down the remaining stairs. My face was hotter than it had ever been before and my thick winter coat suddenly seemed unnecessary.

My grandmother was at home. She noticed my breathlessness and bright face immediately.

"Sakuno! Did you run home or something?" she asked in her loud, tennis-coach way.

"N-no, I-" I stammered, not sure of what to see.

"Oh ho! Did a boy ask you to the Winter Dance?"

I looked up quickly. "No! How do you know about the dance anyways?"

Grandmother snorted. "I _work_ at the school, Sakuno-chan."

"Oh. Right."

"Well, get yourself ready for dinner. We're going out."

"Really? Why?"

"The boy's tennis team has been working pretty hard, you know. I'm treating them to a fancy dinner. And besides, it's almost Christmas."

"I know. But why am I going?"

"Because a couple of the boys wanted you there."

My face flushed again. "I-"

Grandmother chuckled. "You're very popular with males, you know that?"

Soon enough, I found myself tugging at the end of my skirt. I had refused to wear a formal dress, even though Grandmother told me to. In the end, we came to a compromise; I wore a pale blue blouse and a black knee-length skirt. I wanted to wear a simple white shirt, but Grandmother told me that some of the boys would bring dates and that I shouldn't look so drab next to them.

The whole prospect was surprising. Normally, Grandmother would have told me about something like this a few days in advance. I knew there had to be a twist to this, but I didn't know what disaster might befall me yet.

Momo was, as expected, with Tomoka. Tomoka squealed when she saw me.

"Sakuno-chan! You didn't tell me that you would be here!"

"I didn't know that I would be here."

"Oh, really? How come?"

I just shrugged.

"Oh well. Ooh, I love that shirt of yours!"

Tomoka shouldn't have been complimenting me. She was wearing a spectacular red dress that showed off her smooth skin, long legs, and glittering necklace. _No wonder Momoshiro-senpai would ask her_, I thought. _She's gorgeous._

Fuji came up to me and shook my hand. "Sakuno-san! You look great."

Unexpectedly, I felt my cheeks heat up again. "Ah-no, I- arigato!"

Fuji chuckled. Eiji put his hand on my shoulder and held me out at arm's length.

"So, were you wondering why you were here?" he asked.

I nodded, surprised.

Eiji pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "Everyone here without a date except Kaidoh- including ME- asked for you to come along so we wouldn't all feel so alone!"

"I- is that a compliment of some sort?"

Fuji laughed. "Oh, Sakuno-chan. Of course it's a compliment!"

Since when had I become Sakuno-_chan_? "Oh- then, thank you!"

Fuji and Eiji both patted my head and left, leaving me extremely confused.

I counted heads. Some parents were here; a woman who greatly resembled Oishi was sitting on a bench, admiring the miniature koi pond. A man with thick hair and Inui's facial structure was talking avidly with Grandmother.

Half of the tennis team regulars had dates and all of the dates were exceptionally beautiful. Their appearances made me feel very ordinary and dull. For example, the elegant girl next to Taka had exotic features and a bombshell body, accented by a silvery dress.

After we were seated around a huge table, I looked around and noticed that the only person missing was Ryoma. A part of me had expected it, but another part was saddened.

Apparently, Grandmother had noticed that, too. She whipped out her phone and dialed someone. She stood up and went outside to make the call. Pretty soon, she came back in, a nonplussed look on her face.

"Apparently, Nanjiroh has decided to practice with Ryoma on this snowy day," Grandmother said to one of the regulars` fathers. "Ryoma's showering right now." The man shook his head and _tsk-tsk_ed.

I flipped through the menu, not actually reading anything. Everything was so expensive and although I knew that Grandmother could easily afford anything and that everyone was ordering so that everyone could have a piece, I felt uncomfortable. I shook off the feeling but decided not to order anything besides tea.

Soft music floated through the air. The lights were dim, but there was a candle on every table. Tantalizing scents reached my nose. Pretty much everyone except me was talking.

When Ryoma finally walked in, I noticed that more than one girl averted their eyes, blushing. Ryoma's father didn't come in, which struck me as odd; how did Ryoma get here?

"You've finally arrived!" Momo said, punching Ryoma lightly on the arm. Ryoma nodded, unsmiling. He was wearing even more casual clothes than I was; a blue button-down with jeans. A black jacket was slung over his arm. The only empty chair was next to me, so I scooted over to the left to leave more room for Ryoma. He either didn't notice or ignored my red face.

The food began arriving a while later. Everything was delicious, but I didn't eat more than one bowl of rice and a little bit of each dish. Fuji looked over at me.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"I'm not very hungry."

Fuji tilted his head, then went back to eating and talking.

Ryoma ate very little as well. He checked the time a lot, too. I thought it was weird, but I didn't ask about it.

Before I knew it, dinner was over. Some people were stretching, others were admiring their meal out loud. Ryoma kept glancing out the door. Finally, I decided to talk to him.

"Ryoma-sama, are you waiting for someone?"

He looked at me, startled. "Oh. No."

"Oh, okay. Because you keep looking outside."

Ryoma shrugged and looked back out. I sighed and turned back to everyone else. Momo and Kaidoh weren't arguing, for once. Inui was scribbling something into his notebook. Tezuka regarded everyone with his cold eyes, as usual.

Grandmother came up to me and pulled me off to the side. "Sakuno, is the guest bedroom in our house clean and usable?"

"Ah- yes, it is. Why?"

"Ryoma might be staying with us for tonight."

"_What?_ Why?"

"His father has some sort of business trip tonight and he doesn't have anywhere else to put him. He doesn't trust Ryoma to be alone in the house, and he doesn't have a key anyways."

"I- okay."

Little did I know, that would be the start of a series of interesting events.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hot Chocolate Hearts**

_Hello! It's D27H! Thanks for waiting for chapter two, I didn't have any Internet for about a week and a half. Sorry! But anyways, I do not own the manga Prince of Tennis. These characters are not mine. This story is for entertainment purposes only. Thanks for reading (and sorry again for having to wait so long)!_

**Chapter 2**

"Ryoma-sama, you can stay in this room," I said, opening the door to the small guest room. In it was a small bed, a nicely-positioned window, a desk, and a tiny closet. Bamboo sprouted from a porcelain pot that stood on the windowsill. Ryoma peered inside and nodded.

I honestly didn't understand how everything suddenly became so...sudden. First, I wasn't told that there would be a dinner party. Now, Ryoma, the Ryoma that I dreamed of, was staying a night in our house. What next?

"Do you have clothes for tomorrow?" Grandmother asked. "It's a Saturday, so I wouldn't worry about having to get your uniform, but..."

"I'll just wear what I have on right now." Ryoma replied tersely.

"Nonsense. I'll get something for you." Grandmother strode off, leaving me and Ryoma standing in front of the empty bedroom. Ryoma looked around the room while I stared down at my feet, blushing.

"Sakuno-chan, do you have any plain t-shirts?" Grandmother shouted from my room.

"Ah! Um- no, I just have the ones for the school uniform and a couple of dressy ones."

"Ryoma, is it okay if I give you something that Sakuno-chan's dad used to wear?"

Ryoma shrugged. "Sure." He looked at me. "What happened to your dad?"

I hadn't expected that. "Oh! I-ah- he and my mother travel a lot and they're rarely ever here." Even though it was a barely sufficient answer, I felt uncomfortable going any further, so I changed the subject over to Ryoma. "Um, so, where's _your_ dad?"

"Someone asked him to help their kid with tennis, but they're far away and Old Man can't make it home tonight."

_He calls his father Old Man?_ I thought. _How rude_. "So how come he told you to come here?"

"Old Man and Ryuzaki-sensei are old friends. Ryuzaki-sensei apparently owes him something."

"I see." I had known that Grandmother and Ryoma's father were close. "Would you like something to eat?"

Ryoma shrugged. Grandmother came back with a white shirt, a pair of red flannel pants, and a pair of worn jeans. She set the clothes down on the desk.

"The shirt is for you for tonight and tomorrow." she instructed. "The red pants are for sleepwear and the other pants are for tomorrow." With skilled hands, she unfolded the garments and spread them out on the bed. "You don't need to return them. They're all too small for Sakuno-chan's father."

"I see. Arigato."

"No need to thank me, I needed to get rid of them anyways." Grandmother shook her head. She turned to me. "Sakuno-chan, what do you want for dinner?"

"Whatever Ryoma-sama wants!" I said a little too loudly.

Both looked at me strangely.

"G-gomen-" I stammered.

"What are you always apologizing for?" Ryoma asked.

Grandmother sighed and shook her head. "That girl is like her mother, always thinking that something's her fault even though nothing is. But what do you want, Ryoma?"

The boy in question shrugged. "Anything."

"Rice then. With curry...is that alright? Maybe we can have some of Sakuno-chan's special cake, too."

Ryoma shrugged, just like he always did.

Grandmother prepared the rice and curry, and even though the rice was slightly dry, the curry more than made up for it. I took out some leftover slices of cake that I had made the day before and put them on little dishes so that we could eat them. Ryoma nodded his thanks.

I was strangely uncomfortable. My heart was pounding and my stomach was fluttery. Why, of all people, was Ryoma staying overnight at my house? Why? _Why?_

"Hey, this is good." Ryoma's voice cut into my self-reprimanding.

"Ah- arigato."

Grandmother chuckled from across the table. "It's very good, Sakuno. The boy isn't giving you enough credit."

I forced a nervous laugh and finished my cake quickly. "I'll wash the dishes."

My nightclothes, which usually felt so comfortable, now felt exposing and embarrassing.

The clothes in question were a pair of knee-length pants and a t-shirt. They were conservative and they covered me decently, but they were thin (not really my fault, they were just washed one too many times) and both were pale colors.

More than anything, though, I was just nervous about my crush being right next door.

I had a fitful night, tossing and turning and just not being able to sleep in general. I was listless and sluggish the next morning when I went down to breakfast.

Grandmother was already there, distributing eggs to the three plates on the table. "Sakuno-chan, where's Ryoma?" she asked me without ever taking her eyes off of the food.

"He's still asleep, I think." I replied with a barely stifled yawn.

"Can you get him? I don't know when his dad is coming to get him, so I want him to be ready early."

I wanted to refuse, but I also didn't want to disappoint my grandmother, so I plodded upstairs and knocked on the door of the guest bedroom. Nobody answered, but I went in anyways.

Ryoma was lying on his side with his back facing me. The sheets were tangled around him and his hair was extremely tousled, indicating a rough night. _That makes two of us_, I thought. Quietly, I reached down and shook his shoulder.

"Ryoma-sama, breakfast." I said.

Ryoma groaned, rolled over onto his back, and, in a barely audible voice, said, "Get off the bed, Karupin..." I stood there, confused.

Suddenly, Ryoma grabbed my upper arm and pulled downwards. I lost my footing and fell onto him, my right hand landing on top of his left. My other arm ended up on his stomach. I should've woken him up, as my elbow had landed pretty heavily on his gut, but he didn't do anything besides say, "Karupin, you're fat."

I don't think my face has ever been, or ever will be, that red.

"Ryoma-sama!" I staggered back up into a normal position, yanking my arm out of his surprisingly tight grip at the same time.

Ryoma's eyes blinked open. "Oh, Sakuno-san. Is breakfast ready?"

"I-you-you just-"

"What?

"Ugh- never mind."

I left Ryoma to get ready. I kept replaying that one little scene in my mind, my face coloring pink every time. Grandmother didn't notice anything, even as I fidgeted and practically shivered when Ryoma sat down next to me. His hair was slightly combed back and he definitely didn't look as disheveled as he did a couple minutes earlier.

"Good eggs." was all Ryoma said during the meal.

Ryoma's father came by very soon afterwards. With a sheepish smile, he said, "I hope Ryoma wasn't a troublemaker."

"No, not at all," Grandmother told him.

Oh, if only she knew.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hot Chocolate Hearts**

_Heyo! `tis D27H! I'm making good progress with the story...but bear with me, I like writing with a lot of rather small details. Unfortunately, this detail-orientation really slows my writing down. Also, the length of my chapters generally vary greatly, which is something else you'll have to put up with... But that aside, I hope you enjoy what exists so far of the story and please please please give me advice! And as a final disclaimer, I DO NOT own the manga Prince of Tennis._

**Chapter 3**

Monday came around soon enough.

I was tense and slightly afraid of seeing Ryoma. More accurately, I was afraid of one of my friends somehow finding out about Ryoma having to stay at my house and claiming- correctly- that I had fallen for him. No matter how much I had pleaded with Grandmother to let me stay home, no matter how ill I pretended to be the day before, I was still here, sitting at my desk and trying to keep my head down so that I wouldn't have to look at Ryoma. For the first time in my life, I couldn't really comprehend what the teacher was saying, but it was a small loss.

During lunch, Fuji and Inui came over to me as I sat, undeterred by the cold, underneath my favorite tree in the courtyard. Both wore sly smiles, which worried me.

"O-ohayo, Fuji-senpai, Inui-senpai."

Fuji smiled. "I wouldn't say that it was morning, but ohayo to you too, Sakuno-chan."

There it was again; the mysterious, unprecedented _chan_ at the end of my name. Inui observed me for a second, then scribbled something down into his notebook. Fuji glanced over at him, then turned his attention back to me.

"So. What're you eating?"

"Um- just rice and a piece of chicken."

"Nice."

Fuji and Inui stood there awkwardly for a while, with Inui writing something hurriedly in his notebook. Finally, Fuji stretched and said, "Well, we'll be seeing you, Sakuno-chan."

"Oh- um- okay?"

Tomoka came a few minutes later. "Did Fuji-senpai and Inui-senpai just come by?"

I nodded, then shrugged, to tell her that I didn't know why. Tomoka got it, then strolled off.

Then, to finish it all off, Ryoma found me sitting under the tree in the courtyard towards the end of lunch. Without saying anything, he sat down next to me and finished off the half-eaten sandwich that had been clutched in his hand.

"Um...hi..." I managed as I fought to keep my blush off my face.

Ryoma nodded, swallowed, and turned his piercing golden eyes on me. "What did I do on Sunday that you didn't want to talk about?"

That was all it took to turn my face pink. _Why do I keep blushing these days?_ I thought frantically to myself. _And all at the wrong moments!_

"You- um- can I not talk about here?" I hissed, noticing the hateful glares that the unofficial Ryoma Echizen Fan Club were giving me.

Ryoma sighed and pulled out a scrap of paper from his pocket. He glanced around. "Do you have a pen?"

I tugged my favorite purple pen out from my bag and handed it to him. With a nearly imperceptible nod, he wrote something down. The pen scratched across the paper at a nearly impossible speed. It occurred to me that his handwriting might be the reason why Ryoma dozed off so much in class; all the notes were already down before the teacher even got to explain in depth.

With finality, Ryoma capped the pen and handed both things to me. "Just email or call tonight. Your grandmother has my house number."

"O-okay."

Ryoma walked off, ignoring the squeals and sighs of the fan club hovering nearby. I finished off my rice as fast as I could before the fan club could descend upon me for "stealing" Ryoma.

_You're not talking to Ryoma-sama directly! Why are you acting so afraid?_

I was in my room, preparing to write the email to Ryoma. My heart was beating much faster than a human heart should be beating at the prospect of having to communicate with Ryoma. Even though I wouldn't be speaking directly to him, I was still anxious.

I berated myself in my mind and, with reluctance, began typing.

_Hi, Ryoma-sama. You asked me what happened on Sunday_.

It didn't take long to finish the email, but I reread what I had written many times to make sure I didn't sound too desperate or cold. It was a strange balance that I was seeking.

Soon, I felt as though every word of what I had written was absolutely terrible. Each sentence was too nonchalant, or too poorly structured, or what have you. I was on the verge of tears when Grandmother called to me from the bottom of the stairs.

"Sakuno! Ryoma's on the phone!"

Grandmother would later tell me that if everyone on the Seigaku tennis team ran as fast as I did then, they wouldn't lose to anyone.

Back in my room, I tried my best to sound cool and collected, the opposite of how I really felt. "Hi, Ryoma-sama. I was about to call- I mean, email- you."

"Well, I'm on the phone now, so, what was it." The way Ryoma said this was more of a statement than a question.

I told him, pausing several times to make sure Grandmother wasn't listening and to even my breath.

Ryoma was silent for a while. When he finally did speak:

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Um. I should...probably...apologize..."

"It's okay. You were asleep, after all."

"Gomen."

Another silence ensued. This time, it was me who broke it. "Well, I guess...umm...good night?"

"Okay. G`night."

Something bothered me about the conversation, but I couldn't out a finger on what it was. It finally occurred to me as I was falling asleep.

For the first time, Ryoma had sounded nervous.

"SAAAAAKUNO-CHAAAAAAN!"

Eiji's exuberant shout startled me, causing me to drop my backpack. Books spilled out everywhere, with papers fluttering and pencils rolling.

"Ah!"

"Gomen, Sakuno-chan!" Eiji, whose enthusiasm suddenly vanished, fumbled around on the ground, trying to pick up my things for me. He seemed oblivious to the titters and laughs of the students around us, on their way home.

"It's okay, Eiji-senpai." I leaned over to help him. Eiji brushed my hand aside.

"Let me pick it up! It's my fault, anyways!" Eiji pouted. He looked so funny that I started giggling.

"What? Did Eiji tell you yet?" Fuji suddenly appeared at my side. I jumped a little again.

"No, he didn't. But I think we've given the girl enough surprises for one day, anyways." Oishi materialized at my other side.

"Where are you people coming from?" I asked, more to myself than to anyone in particular.

Eiji laughed. "Sorry. But it's something that Ryoma-san told us on Tuesday..."

"You mean yesterday?"

"Well, yes. But it's felt like such a long time." Oishi interrupted. "Oh, kids grow up so fast."

"What do you mean?"

Eiji winked at me. "You know what? We'll leave the kid to tell you himself." He piled my backpack, with all its items back in place, into my arms and skipped off, prompting more curious stares.

Fuji and Oishi disappeared as mysteriously and abruptly as they appeared, leaving me alone with nothing but my questions.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hot Chocolate Hearts**

_Wow, who knew vacations could actually be productive? Well, I know mine was. I wrote chapters 2, 3, and this one (4, for those of you who are worse at math than I am) and maybe more to come! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 4**

"Sakuno! You still don't have a date to the dance! YOU ONLY HAVE A WEEK LEFT!" Tomoka shouted from the other end of the phone. I held the receiver away from my ear so that I wouldn't go deaf.

"Tomoka-san, I don't really want to go! I mean it!" I told her.

"Oh come on. Don't lie to me. I know you want _Rrrrryooooommaaa_ to go with you!" Tomoka giggled.

I didn't say anything.

"I like Ryoma too, but Momo is just so much easier to talk to." Tomoka sighed, oblivious to the fact that I was silent. "God, if he doesn't ask you, I'm going to rip off his face!"

"Tomoka-san-"

"Sakuno, seriously, who doesn't want to go to the dance with you? You have _one. Week. Left_. You've got to go. Look at all the girls who went with the tennis team guys to the dinner! They have dates! And half of them are nowhere near as cute as you are!"

"Tomoka-san, I don't care if I go or not. It's just a dance. We still have two years in middle school. Two more chances."

"SAKUNO! This is your first! The first is always the most important!" Tomoka sounded really frustrated now. "Look, I have to go, but please go to the dance! Do it for me, okay?"

"I can't promise anything."

"Better than nothing. Bye!"

I felt envy rising up in me, as usual, as I watched Kaidoh and Momo hit tennis balls at each other with vengeance. Every move of theirs on the court was so calculated and clean! Each ball sent over the net was perfect, landing right where the player wanted it to go! Precisely the opposite of mine!

Tezuka went over to break up Kaidoh and Momo, who had started yelling at each other from across the net. I sighed, half out of defeat and half out of amusement.

"Watching us play as usual, huh?" Taka said with his gentle, off-court smile. He was sitting on the bench next to me, taking sips out of his water bottle.

"Yeah." I smiled back. "I can't play as well as you guys can, so I come to watch to make up for it."

"Well, as long as you work hard, it doesn't matter how well you play. Just keep at it." Taka put his bottle down and walked back to the courts. Soon enough, I could hear his shout of "BURNING!" and a tennis ball slammed into a fence. Three people started laughing and Grandmother said something sternly to the pair of boys who were fighting. I would later find out that Taka had hit a ball straight at the two, forcing them to stop fighting and back up.

Ryoma wasn't anywhere to be seen. At least, I couldn't find him.

Soon enough, though, I would find out where he had been. After practice, Fuji and Eiji dragged him, struggling, towards me from one of the back courts, where he had been playing quietly with Tezuka. From where I sat, I couldn't see the back court. Eiji waved me onto the courts while Fuji patted Ryoma's head, chuckling. I stood up, completely puzzled.

"What are you boys doing?" Grandmother shouted. She marched away from Kaidoh and Momo, who turned their attention to the scene that Ryoma was part of.

"Ryuzaki-sensei, I think our boy Ryoma here has something to say to your granddaughter." Eiji said with mock pompousness. Momo started laughing. Apparently, he knew what was going on.

"And what would that be? Should I be concerned?" Grandmother looked at me strangely.

Ryoma, whose arms were locked behind his back by Fuji, shot death glares at his captors. "I have _nothing_ to say."

"Sure you do!" Momo joined in. He leaped over the net, ignoring the irate Kaidoh, and jogged over.

By this time, numerous other students who were on their way home had stopped too, gawking at the spectacle. Some of Ryoma's fan club were whimpering, probably worrying about "their" Ryoma. Tomoka herself was present, casting confused looks over at me.

The whole tennis team, even Kaidoh and Tezuka, had bunched together, urging Ryoma to say whatever it was on his mind. Ryoma's struggles had increased. Tomoka started saying something, too softly for me to hear but loud enough for the people around her to hear and gasp or say, "Oh my gosh!"

Grandmother looked around. "We're making a scene. Get on with it, Ryoma."

Ryoma seemed to choke, then looked down at his feet and mumbled something. Fuji shook him.

"LOUDER!" Momo yelled, prompting a _shh_ and a stern look from Grandmother.

Ryoma looked up and met my eyes. "I said, do you want to go to the dance with me."

The tennis team cheered and Ryoma was released. Many people from outside the courts shouted and laughed while Tomoka was chanting, "Sakuno! Sakuno! You finally have a date!"

Surprisingly, even Grandmother seemed pretty happy. "Well, it feels like you kids grew up too fast."

"What?" I was shocked and practically speechless. "I mean, yes! But you don't want to, right?"

"SAY YES! JUST SAY YES!" Tomoka screamed.

Ryoma darted away, picking up his backpack and tennis bag along the way. Eiji started to chase him but gave up halfway. I didn't know what I was supposed to do: follow Ryoma? Tell everyone I didn't want to? Tell everyone I _did_ want to?

Fuji came over to me. "He'll come around. Just wait and see."

I called Ryoma as soon as I got home. It wasn't because I wanted to bother him, it was because I wanted to apologize.

"Hello?" a man's voice came on through the phone.

"Can I talk to Ryoma Echizen?"

"Yup. Who is this?"

"Sakuno Ryuzaki."

"Ah, Ryuzaki. Okay. Hang on."

In the background, I heard the man calling for Ryoma, telling him it was "Ryuzaki Sakura or something, your coach's granddaughter" and to "get your butt down here". I winced when he said that.

Ryoma came on. Before I could say anything, he said, with a desperate edge to his voice, "Please tell me this isn't about today."

"I'm sorry."

"...for what?"

"Today. I didn't know they would do that! I am so, so sorry. If you don't want me to go to that dance with you, it's fine, I underst-"

"No, I do want you to go with me."

I was speechless. Ryoma Echizen, _the_ Ryoma of the Seigaku tennis team that I had loved from afar, wanted me to go to the dance with him.

"Hello?"

"Oh my God."

"What?"

"Omigodomigodomigodomigod."

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know what to do."

This time, Ryoma was the one who didn't say anything. Maybe he had expected yes or maybe he expected me to say no. I'll never know. But he did speak, after a tense couple of minutes.

"This is the first time you've been asked to anything, huh."

"Yes..."

"You can say no if you want."

"I- I really don't know what to do."

"Tell me tomorrow, how about that."

"Alright. I am so sorry-"

"Why do you always say sorry? Anyways, see you tomorrow."

The line clicked off and almost immediately, it rang again. This time, it was Tomoka.

"Hel-"

"SAKUNOOHMYGODDIDHESERIOUSLYASKYOUTOTHEDANCE?! PLEASE TELL ME YOU SAID YES!"

"I said I would tell him tomorrow."

"MY GOODNESS, SAKUNO, SAY YES!"

"Tomoka, please stop yelling!"

"Gomen. Gomen. But say YES! Please!" She added a whimper for dramatic effect and clicked off.

And that ended what was probably the most confusing day of my life.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hot Chocolate Hearts**

_Okay, wow. My vacations tend to have work in them, but I have never accomplished this much in one vacation. Wow. Anyways, we are finally getting to the main part of the story! Just this and one more chapter (most likely; I am a terrible planner)! Ugh, how much I wish Prince of Tennis was my manga. But it isn't, so I'll just have to pretend! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 5**

Tomoka and about twenty other girls were hanging around my tree when I got there. I clutched my lunchbox and thermos of hot chocolate closer to my chest, trying to hide myself. I knew what they were here for.

"Sakuno! When are you going to tell Ryoma?" a girl that I never really talked to asked.

"Now, I guess."

Pretty much every girl squealed.

Almost as if on cue, Ryoma appeared, which induced a round of shrieking and giggling. He looked at me as if I had betrayed him.

I threw my hands up. "I didn't want them here."

He shrugged and sat down on the ground next to me in a space provided by the girls. "So?"

I sighed. "I have to say yes. If I said no..." I gestured to everyone around us.

Elated screams filled the air. Tomoka hugged me, throwing me against Ryoma. He put one hand out to stop me from pushing him into the throng of people. My face was now hot enough to rival my hot chocolate.

Unfortunately, trouble always comes after joy. The cap on my thermos, unbeknownst to me, had been loose. My thermos tipped over onto me and Ryoma, spilling the hot chocolate all over us. He barely reacted, but I yelped and jumped to my feet. My coat had protected my school uniform, but most of the liquid had gotten onto my legs, which were only covered by my knee-length skirt and thin tights.

Tomoka gasped and dashed off- to get paper towels, I presumed. The other girls started fretting over what I was wearing. Most followed Tomoka, although I suspected they just wanted to get away.

Ryoma eyed me. "That- must hurt."

There were tears in my eyes from the pain. I blinked them away as quickly as I could. "Yeah."

"Hang on- here." Ryoma took off his jacket and handed it to me. I took it slowly.

"What's this for?"

"Cover your legs. It's going to get cold fast, especially since it's starting to snow."

Indeed, it was. My legs were freezing, and little white flakes floated past my nose. Some people leaped to their feet and shouted, "Snow!"

I sat back down next to Ryoma. "Arigato."

"Sure." Ryoma folded his arms and leaned back against the tree.

After a while, it became clear that Tomoka wasn't coming back. By this time, Ryoma was shivering violently. The snow was falling heavily, topped off by winds that were slowly picking up. I bit my lip and handed his jacket back to him. He shook his head. I dropped it onto his lap and stood up.

"That spot by the building is warm. Come on." I pointed at an old bench that stood right next to a vent by the school building. Ryoma nodded and followed me.

That move was all I needed. There were blasts of warm air pumping out of the vent every couple of seconds. Quickly, I warmed up, and apparently, so did Ryoma. I realized that he had a lot of now-dried hot chocolate on him too.

"Didn't _that_ hurt?" I asked him, pointing to one particularly large patch on his pants.

Ryoma looked down. "Oh. I didn't notice that."

I _oh_ed and put my hands on my knees for a little more warmth. We sat there like that for a while, not saying anything.

Finally, Ryoma spoke. "So...about the dance. It's in, what, three days?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"Do you want me to pick you up or something?"

"Oh- um-"

"I'll do that." Ryoma said this with a sort of finality that suggested, "Don't say anything contrary".

"Really-"

Ryoma held up his hand, stopping me. "I owe you."

"You-you _owe_ me? For what?"

"For dragging you into that stupid thing a while ago."

I figured out that he was referring to his 'capture' by the tennis team a couple of days ago. "Oh! That wasn't your fault at all."

Ryoma shrugged. At that moment, the school bell rang for us to go in. We looked at each other.

Suddenly, he pointed at a stain on my stockings. "That's...a heart." I looked down at it.

And what do you know. It was.

"Now what?" I groaned.

I was in my room with Tomoka. She had insisted that she come to my house to help me pick out what to wear on the day of the dance. So far, she had ruled out the blouse and skirt I had worn to the dinner, my red dress, my pale yellow sundress, and most of the jewelry I owned.

"I don't know!" Tomoka cried. "You don't ever wear fancy stuff, so you barely have anything! That green one is nice, though."

"It barely fits anymore."

"AUGH!" She sat down next to me on the bed. "The dance is _tomorrow_! You _have_ to figure out what you're wearing! I'm wearing the purple one I wore to my friend's sister's wedding."

"This is one of the reasons why I didn't want to go to the dance. I don't have anything to wear."

Tomoka's cell phone rang. She spoke to the person briefly, then stood up. "Mom just called. I have to go home."

"Alright."

"You'll have to find something by yourself, sorry." Tomoka tightened her ponytail. "Don't wear anything that I disapproved of today, okay?"

"Sure."

"Alright, bye!" She went down the stairs, saying goodbye to Grandmother in the process. After the front door closed, I flopped backwards on the bed and sighed. I heard Grandmother's footsteps before she opened my door.

"Sakuno?"

"Yeah?"

Grandmother came in and sat by my feet. "I'm proud of you."

I sat up. "Why are you proud?"

"You finally got yourself a boyfriend." She chuckled. "I always thought that I would have trouble because I didn't like your future boyfriend, but Ryoma...who knew?"

"Grandmother!"

She put her hands up. "Well, I heard you and Tomoka talking about what to wear. Can I suggest something."

"I suppose so. Not like I have any better ideas."

Grandmother left the room and went into the bedroom that served as my parents` when they were around. It took her a while to find what she was looking for, but when she came back with it, it took my breath away.

It was one of my mother's childhood dresses. It was a dark blue, almost like the sky right after the sun disappeared under the horizon. The skirt came down just past my knees. A silvery ribbon was tied around the waist with the two ends hanging down. A sequin design wound its way down the dress, starting from the upper right corner and down to the left side, just above the skirt line. My mouth dropped open.

"Your mom didn't wear this since she was in her first year of high school, so I doubt she would mind you wearing this to your first dance." Grandmother said in a nostalgic tone.

"Oh..." I breathed out. "Isn't this too fancy though?"

Grandmother shook her head. "I don't think so. Try it on."

I slipped the dress on. It was lighter than it looked, and definitely more comfortable than my own dresses. Grandmother nodded when I showed her.

"You are wearing this one. No arguments." She motioned for me to take it off and hang it up somewhere.

"What about other things?" I asked her as I scouted the room for an adequate place to put the dress without wrinkling it. "Like, shoes and jewelry?"

"The dance is at six-thirty, right? Then let's figure out the last-minute stuff at five. Jewelry..." Grandmother tapped her chin, thinking, then grinned and dug around in my tiny, mostly empty jewelry case. After a few minutes, she came up with my favorite necklace. On the end of a silver chain dangled a pearl. At first glance, it was plain and white with no design on it whatsoever. However, upon closer inspection, one could see that it was opalescent. This was most obvious in bright light; all colors imaginable and some not shined and danced across the pearl. I had matching earrings.

"You will knock Ryoma off his feet." Grandmother declared, placing the necklace and earrings on my desk.

I didn't argue with her, because when Grandmother says something with so much confidence, I know she's right.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hot Chocolate Hearts**

_WHOAAAA! LAST CHAPTER! How did I write all of this so fast? I might never know. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this story, because I will write more Prince of Tennis and RyoSaku stories and possibly some stories for other mangas! (Prince of Tennis is one of my favorite mangas, and is #1 when it comes to writing fanfic. It's easier to write than most of my other faves.) Also, I'm writing a continuation of this called "Phoenix", it has a much different (darker and sadder) mood to it and it's told by Ryoma, but it's still RyoSaku! I hope you read it when I finish it! This was my first fanfic, and I hope I will get better! THANKS FOR READING! _:D

**Chapter 6**

"Ah! Grandmother!" I yelped as the comb descended upon my hair again. It wasn't pain that made me so upset; it was the fact that...

"Sakuno, you never wear your hair in anything but braids. Try leaving it down for once."

"It's uncomfortable!"

It's true that I rarely ever take out my braids, but it's for two reasons and two reasons only: one, it's uncomfortable for me to leave my hair down, and two, a lot of people say I look pretty with my hair down, and I happen not to really like thanking people for them giving me compliments. It's rather awkward for me.

"Sakuno, this is a special night. Therefore, you need something a little more...dazzling."

I complained and mumbled, but I didn't make a move to stop Grandmother's onslaught. She carefully ran the comb through my hair, and every single time, she would do it slowly to prevent any static. Not that there would've been any.

It's not that I mean to sound self-centered or narcissistic, but my hair has always been pretty likeable. It's naturally a pale brown with, if you look close enough, streaks that look golden. It also doesn't frizz, no matter what I do, and always seems to go back to falling straight down around my face with the front bits curling around and framing my face without any prompting. Everyone says I look like my father in every aspect except my hair, which actually doesn't look like anyone else in my family's. I'm the big mystery of the family, because nobody knows who I got my hair from.

This was what Grandmother was muttering as she made her final rounds with the brush. She twirled one clump of hair around her finger and let it go. "Still don't know how you got this head, but it sure is great."

I smiled at the way Grandmother said this. She patted my head, telling me that I could stand up. "Face me so I can see how it looks."

I did as she asked. Grandmother looked me up and down and frowned. "Something doesn't feel right."

"What- what do you mean?"

She didn't respond, just kept squinting at my face and hair. I stood there, unmoving and uncomfortable. Finally, Grandmother muttered something to herself and went to my parents` room. She came back with a handful of silver hairpins.

"Sit down again, Sakuno." She fingered the hairpins. They were beautiful, with polished and shiny silver and little pearls at the ends. One of them was longer than the others and had little black ribbons hanging from the pearl.

I sat and felt Grandmother's hand combing through my hair. Every once in a while, I could feel her pick up a strand of hair and drop it again. Eventually, I dozed off and let her do whatever.

I snapped back when Grandmother shook my shoulder gently. "Do you like it?" she asked, handing me a handheld mirror.

Grandmother had put my hair up in a chignon, using the pins to keep it in place. Little strands hung off, giving me a very sophisticated look.

"Wow...I- I love it!"

"Then you're going to the dance with this."

Right then, there was knocking on the door. Grandmother winked at me. "I'll bet that's Ryoma." She left me standing in the living room alone. I could hear them exchange pleasantries. Ryoma said he would wait outside as I got ready to leave.

Grandmother came back. "Well, looks like you're ready to go!"

I nodded. My stomach was churning and my heart was pounding in anticipation. The earrings suddenly felt a ton heavier. Slowly, I reached for my jacket, which had been flung carelessly onto the couch after school in my rush to prepare. Then, I remembered that Ryoma was waiting outside and tugged on my jacket faster. My shoes, a pair of flats, was waiting for me by the door.

Ryoma was facing away from me when I got to the door. He was dressed simply in a white dress shirt, black pants, and a black jacket thrown over his shoulder. A white plastic bag was hung over his right arm. Ryoma turned when he heard my footsteps and was about to say something when he froze at the sight of me. My face heated up as it did so often these days and concentrated on putting on my shoes.

Grandmother sent me off. "Have fun." she said with a wink as she closed the door.

Ryoma was trying not to look at me. "You- you don't mind if we walk, do you?"

"That's fine. I don't live that far from school."

We walked in silence. Snow was falling pretty heavily and I could see our breaths in the air, but Ryoma didn't put on his jacket. I wanted to ask him why, but decided that it was trivial and I didn't have to know.

When we reached the school tennis courts, Ryoma stopped abruptly. I took a few steps before realizing this and looked back. He was fumbling around with his plastic bag.

"Ryoma-sama?"

He held up a finger and pulled out a single rose from the bag. I was speechless.

"Hey. It's for you." He handed it over to me. I took it from him and just stared at it, touched and surprised.

Both of us just stood there in the falling snow for ten minutes. The only reason that we finally moved was because we could hear the music starting up. Laughter followed.

"Let's go, then." Ryoma said. As he passed me, he looped one arm around my shoulders. "You look good, by the way."

I was still rendered slack-jawed by the rose, so I muttered a barely-understandable "Arigato" and let him lead me.

The Ryoma Fan Club seemed to have finally given up on Ryoma, so I didn't have to worry about them at the party. Tomoka, however, was a completely different problem.

"Sakuno! YOU. ARE. SO. PREEEETTTY!" she shouted, bounding up to me and hugging me tightly. Ryoma let go of me just before she struck so that his arm wouldn't get snapped in the process.

"Tomoka-san! You're hurting me!" I managed. Quietly, I handed the rose over to Ryoma, who understood immediately and hid it back in his bag before Tomoka could burst my eardrums again.

"Gomen, Sakuno-san! But you never showed me this dress! I LOVE it!" Tomoka bounced on her feet and turned to Momo, who had come over too. "Lookit that! Isn't she gorgeous?"

Momo smiled at her and shrugged at me and Ryoma. "Well, you do look pretty good, Sakuno-san."

"_Pretty_ good? Don't give her less praise than she deserves." Ryoma said, putting his arm around me again. My face turned crimson at this unexpected shower of compliments.

"Yeah, what he said!" Tomoka huffed good-naturedly while folding her arms. Momo laughed and led her away to where the others were dancing. Eiji and his date noticed us, but didn't come over. Fuji and Inui, who seemed to be alone, were the ones who greeted us.

"Sakuno-chan! You look great!" Fuji told me, straining his voice to be heard over the loud music.

"Arigato!" I shouted back. The thumping bass and loud music drowned out pretty much everything.

Inui said something too, but with his much quieter voice, it was near impossible to hear him. I shook my head at him, telling him so. He shrugged and walked away.

"Well, have fun, you two." Fuji said during a short break in the music.

I smiled and watched him leave.

Towards the end of the dance, slow music started playing. Girls squealed as their friends joined boys on the dance floor. Most guys hung around the chairs that were piled in the back of the room, jokingly urging each other to dance with their girl.

I half expected Ryoma to ditch me, while the other half was hoping that he would ask me to dance. He did neither. Instead, he told me to follow him and led me outside.

It was still snowing. The ground was already covered in an ankle-high layer of snow. Most of it was undisturbed and pristine. My favorite tree in the courtyard looked like an angel, with its prayer-like bowing and blankets of snow lacing the bare branches. Ryoma tucked the rose into his jacket and set the plastic bag down for me.

"It's so quiet out here." I said breathily, entertained by the puffs emanating from my mouth when I spoke.

"It's a madhouse in there." Ryoma corrected. I smiled down at my feet and realized that, for the first time, I wasn't blushing. Instead, I felt comfortable with Ryoma, feeling his body heat melt into mine and watching his feet scuff the ground, touching my shoes lightly every time he tapped his feet over.

We sat quietly, watching the snow fall and listening to the soft slow-dance music pouring out from inside. "I think I know that song," I said finally, breaking the silence. With reluctance, I began humming the tune. My voice carried out over the barren fields.

"You have a good voice," Ryoma said after listening for a minute or so.

"Not really."

"You do."

I could hear my favorite part- the last part- of the song playing from inside. It was when the singer's voice softened but the lyrics got stronger and more poetic-sounding. At the end of the whole thing, her voice would slowly climb up and hold the final note for ten seconds before a swell of violins finished it off. My voice followed the singer's.

Ryoma put his hand on top of mine and leaned over sideways so that our shoulders touched. I ducked my head but kept singing, fighting the red that threatened to creep over my face. Just as the singer's voice started to rise, Ryoma put a finger under my chin and turned my head.

And kissed me.

It was so unexpected that I didn't push him away or resist. I just sat there, numb, barely feeling his warmth and the cold finger that was still under my chin. Neither of us moved until the music reached its climax and ended.

Ryoma pulled away and watched me. I still sat there, dumbfounded. He just barely smiled out of the corner of his mouth.

"Your first?" he asked.

I nodded slowly, finding myself strangely unable to do anything else.

"Sorry."

"I- what are you apologizing for?"

Ryoma shrugged and put his arm around me. We sat there until the last throbbing beats of the last song played and we could hear people banging through doors on their way home. Ryoma stood up and held his hand out to me.

"Come on. Time to go home."

As I stood up and met his hand, I caught a glimpse of something on my leg. The tights that I had put on under the dress were the ones I had spilled the hot chocolate on. Ryoma noticed it at the same time I did.

"Hey. It's the hot chocolate heart." he said.

And what do you know. It was.


End file.
